Applied Communicative Dimensions of Police-Civilian Encounters: Officer Accommodation and Citizen Trust and Compliance in Zimbabwe and the United States

Authors:

• Chris Hajek (Univ of Texas, San Antonio)
• Howard Giles (Univ of California, Santa Barbara)
• Valerie E. Barker (San Diego State Univ)
• Sinfree Makoni (Pennsylvania State University)
• Charles Choi (University of California, Santa Barbara)
  
  

Abstract:

This study examined the effects of perceived officer accommodation on reported trust in, and compliance with, police officers in Zimbabwe and the United States. Results revealed that for U.S. participants, officer accommodativeness indirectly predicted civilian compliance through trust. For those in Zimbabwe, however, only direct relationships were found--between officer accommodation and civilian trust, and between accommodation and compliance. The applied and theoretical significance -- as well as the global relevance -- of these findings are discussed.